RIAA forced to take down anti-pirate tool

Ubuntu developer, Matthew Garrett, has managed to get the MPAA to remove its 'University Toolkit' after claims it violated the GNU GPL.

The MPAA last month asked the Presidents of 25 major universities to download and install a 'university toolkit' to help identify students who were downloading/sharing movie files. The toolkit raised some concerns because the software placed an illegal wiretap on University networks on behalf of the MPAA.

However, it looks like it was Garrett who managed to get the MPAA to remove the software on the grounds that it broke GPL rules about disclosure. He said that he had a devil of a job getting anyone at the MPAA to listen to his warning and had to contact the organization's ISP before they took him seriously.